Michael Whatley tells the Washington Reporter that ICE is needed in North Carolina because of the actions Roy Cooper took as governor.
Nash County, home to former Gov. Roy Cooper (D., N.C.), announced that it will partner with the Trump administration to deport illegal immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s Protecting the American People Against Invasion executive order.
Republicans say that Cooper, who is running against former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, is the reason why Trump’s moves, like Operation Charlotte’s Web, are needed to begin with.
As Governor of North Carolina, Cooper vetoed multiple pieces of legislation that would have required sheriffs in his state to cooperate with ICE. Republicans are eager to litigate what they view as Cooper’s pro-illegal immigrant criminal record.
While Cooper was governor, around 500 illegal immigrants were freed from jails across North Carolina, including those with sex offense, kidnapping, arson, and homicide charges, in one year alone.
In one high-profile instance, Luis Pineda-Ancheta, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, immediately reoffended after being released due to sanctuary policies in North Carolina.
Cooper, who has called Trump an “existential threat to our democracy and our nation,” also condemned Trump’s Operation Charlotte’s Web; the former governor called the move racist and said that it targeted people with “no criminal records.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that “among those arrested are numerous criminal illegal aliens with extensive immigration and criminal histories, including domestic violence, assault, breaking and entering, larceny, and driving while intoxicated.”
“ICE’s arrival in North Carolina is a direct response to Roy Cooper’s failed, soft-on-crime leadership,” Whatley told the Reporter. “After Cooper vetoed legislation requiring sheriffs to honor ICE detainers and pushed policies like cashless bail and mass inmate releases, dangerous criminals were left on our streets. President Trump is taking decisive action to restore public safety. North Carolinians deserve better than a career politician who puts criminals and criminal illegal immigrants first and families last.”
Cooper did not respond to request for comment about whether he supports his home county’s move.